"What does it taste like"....you are cheeky!....but love your videos....I have become obsessed with composting....thanks for your help with my composting.
yeah dude when i get ultra lazy and my just-bought produce starts going bad, I have the urge to compost it instead of trimming off the bad parts- especially the kale and cucumbers go bad on me quick! i have one of those ozonators in my fridge, but i'm honestly not sure how well it works?
Happy to have discovered your channel! I've been getting into gardening for a while (on the balcony though, wish I had a real garden) and I'm enjoying it a lot. I like your attitude and sense of humor :)
thanks much for this. Im getting into composting now but don't live in a country where anyone speaks English. Your video was super helpful with the details you provided. Cheers.
i sift my compost even hot as removal of the fine matter helps my pile to not grow to large. when adding yards of stuff every week i can keep it hot for most of a year.i stock pile leave and wood chips for use as needed i add water if dry or leaves and chips when to wet Rodney
The last one made under the ground (the soil) has likely more nitrogen than the commercial compost or your tumbler's, but all is likely less than the vermicompost though. Soil retains nitrogen very well, and so do anaerobic processes. That's why your soil is less black, it's mixed with more inorganic soil.
What happens if my garden bed at planting time might have some unfinished compost at the bottom or within the bed? Will my tomatoes, peppers, or other plants suffer? We have a community leaf dump area, i've been getting the dark stuff from the very bottom of the leaf piles as much as possible but also have some leaves and twigs because I was thinking it would be good for air. I composted a year ago and it went anaerobic. Is compost that has gone anaerobic pretty much garbage and not to be used?
thanks mate. its my first time, haha you sould see the set up inspired by your apartment compost. i got a laundry basket and put wholes in the bottom, wrapped with heshen material and sitting in a laundry bucket with a bin lid occy strapped on.. may sound rough but it looks like a baught one haha thanks again
Hey bud, thanks for the video. Question; i put my leftovers from my juicer into a sealed container. looks like its getting moldy. It's been a week now and i want to know if and when i can use it in my herb garden or just flower garden? Thanks
+MrStilltipping3 You'll want to compost that. Do you have a compost bin set up? Check some of my other videos for some options... you could utilize a trash can, a compost bin, worms... if none of those are appealing, i'd recommend reading up on trench composting, which is essentially burying your food scraps. let me know if you have any questions.
Needed a lot of bread and milk to wash mine down, not sure if it is ready yet so it's on the menu this month... lol Appreciate your vids and now have a micro compost inside of an old nylon grocery store bag. Any suggestions are appreciated. Bottom to top: Dry leaves (House Plants), Fruits and veggie scraps ~2 ibs, Coffee grounds (~1 ibs), 2 Tbls phosphate rock, Black Gold w/ Coir and ~ 1/2 cup worm castings. All Organic.
+John McKay Did you just start this? Sounds pretty cool to me! Maybe add more shredded leaves as cover for the top? Sounds pretty high in greens at the moment. How big is the bag?
+John McKay shredded paper and cardboard will work, but leaves are 100X better in this application... in other words, if you can get leaves, use leaves! Add a handful of dirt, too.
I realize this is an old-ass video, but I'm looking for some advice. I live in New Mexico. We've had some decent rain recently, but we go through long periods without rain. I have a problem with my compost heap finishing. I have noticeable pieces of wood shavings (chicken bedding) still in the pile, but the pile does not seem to be generating any more heat. I was getting temperatures in excess of 150F during it's prime, and was turning it every two to four days. I'm at a point where I don't think the is heap breaking down any further. I think I am going to dig a hole to put the heap into, since it just sits on the ground right now. I think the hole will help it retain moisture better, since that _is_ an issue here in the southwest. I wonder though, should I add more green material and try to get it to heat back up, or should I just put it in the hole and let it finish? I have a second heap started with the new material I'm generating this year.
+BarbVValters How big are the shavings? Anything bigger than sawdust/shavings can slow your pile down at a certain point. Wood chips definitely get in the way. Long term, they'll compost- but that can be quite a few years. I'd recommend adding to a pile for a year, then stopping to build a second pile and add to that for a year. By the end of that year, the first pile should be looking good. The pile won't stay in the 150F range for a long period of time, which is normal...it'll stabilize and eventually when everything is cooked, it'll be closer to the outdoor temperature. Perhaps keep adding moisture to it from time to time, but I wouldn't keep adding to it, especially if you have a new pile. If you are still looking to give it a last zap, adding food scraps and then double that amount in shredded leaves will give it a boost.
+crazyaboutcompost.com The wood chip pieces are what you might expect to see from someone whittling a stick; varying in size, but not big. Do you think a hole would be of any benefit?
+BarbVValters Possibly? It'll restrict airflow to whatever amount is in the hole, but I guess it could assist with moisture. Nothing wrong with giving it a try. It seems like your wood chip pieces may be slowing down your pile a bit. You said you have chicken bedding...you have any chicken manure in there? More manure, the merrier.
+crazyaboutcompost.com Can you get your hands on some straw? that would make another good brown cover material layer that could help retain moisture and heat.
Hi, I have been trying different methods over the years and one of them a hole. I would like to share my experience and I am hoping that it will be of help to you. First off... Digging a hole for your compost is very labour intensive and remember that every time you need to turn your compost you need to take the stuff out and push it back in to the hole(and this needs to be done regularly for oxygen and to spread moisture evenly). This exercise got too much for me and I thought I could just let it sit until it's ready one day. Then came a lot of rain one year and my compost became a soggy smelly mess! Trust me, it smells worse than fresh pigg manure and there's is just no ways one can use this in the garden, the smell takes forever to go away! You mention here that you have a second heap? Why not mix the bigger chunkier pieces with the "new green stuff" and let it sit in your new heap? I personally am not particular about "not" using the bigger pieces. I remove bigger pieces if I need compost for my pots, but if it's for the garden beds I just dig them in. We have clay soil and I find the chunkier help to prevent the soil from packing together and causing the water to just run-off the top, I also think the chunkier pieces help with bringing more oxygen to the roots. You can also consider adding normal garden soil between your layers, water this layer and then pack your next. I found during this years drought that my heap did not dry out as much as it did without the layer. Take care and happy composting. :-)
Hi there! I discovered your channel today and am super interested in starting a compost system at home. Problem is that I live in a high-rise apartment building with a balcony. I was wondering which system you thought would be best for that. Maybe just the simple "cat litter buckets" version I saw in one of your videos to start? I have another question as well: I live in Canada, and it gets bloody cold for many months of the year... will composting even still work in those conditions?
+Cady Elizabeth In the winter time, composting slows to a crawl... digging a pit can work in the winter, but that doesn't sound like an option for you. Vermicomposting works indoors quite well, if you're in the mood for pets. Otherwise, if you have space for two trash cans, or two equally sized vessels (the larger the better), then that would be what I recommend. One of my latest videos explains this: th-cam.com/video/A0EPnJJw198/w-d-xo.html
+crazyaboutcompost.com Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it! I actually might have found a great solution for people in a situation like mine, though it isn't cheap. the Food Cycler: nofoodwaste.com/. I think I will definitely be saving my pennies for one of these. Have you heard of these? What do you think of them?
+Cady Elizabeth Hi Cady, I don't have any experience with one of these... this looks like a competitor of the Naturemill. They're definitely really expensive and they have similar reviews (3/5), too...I'm not generally a fan of hi-tech to compost, but if options are limited, any composting is better than none. Bokashi is yet another option for indoors that might be worth checking out.
I found a composting factory near to my home. Bought some, took it home, but when piling it back up it started to heat up again. It looks fine and is crumbly, some sticks left in it, I can't recognise anything else. Now I don't dare to use it. Should I or should I not? It's for the vegetable garden.
I would just use it for landscaping purposes. My new rule of thumb lately is to just trust my own compost for my own gardening, and anything I get from elsewhere I use for landscaping.
Just got a bunch of grass clippings from the neighborhood boy that cuts the grass. Now I have no clue if anyone uses chemicals to there lawn. Most of the stuff I read says its ok to use. Am I taking a risk by putting it in my composter?
There's a couple factors at play here. What kind of composting system do you have? Is it hot composting, as in a 3' x 3' x 3' or greater sized vessel? What do you plan on doing with the compost? It might not be a good idea to use it for growing food, although I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or two it would be fine.
I use the yimby dual compost tumbler. Damn I didnt think is would be a problem. Thought it would cook enough to till in my vegetable garden bed by the of fall. Any suggestions of what I can do. I worked hard to fill it and dont waste it now
ThEiLLtechNICIAN honestly, it most likely isn't a problem. there's toxins everywhere in nature in everything. just take your time with the compost, let it age, let it cook, screen it, do it again. i wouldn't waste it, just keep the tumbler full, moist and balanced. personally i don't think about grass much because there isn't any in my immediate surroundings. I make my compost from just food scraps and sawdust / shredded leaves as my brown materials. I keep it pretty simple and get great results.
I a bunch of leaves I collected from my neighborhood and local parks. Some shredded paper towels w/o any color ink/printing designs on them. Also shredded cardboard- made sure I avoided any adhesive/glue. Also the basic kitchen scraps like banana peels and such. Did my best to take out any seeds
NG B Totally fine question. I use drywall mesh over top of a 5 gallon bucket. I also have a metal basket with handles that works well, too. Any metal screen will do, although I recommend it having holes of around 1/4". The smaller the holes, the finer the compost.
***** Drywall mesh? Doesn't that have 1/8" or smaller openings? I use 1/2", 3/8", & 1/4" wire cloth on a frame that has rollers on the bottom so I sift compost directly into my wheel barrow for easy transportation & dumping.
have you checked out my vidio compost 2of 3 o r 3of 3 look for a small one or two man lawn or tree service just be careful of grass clipping as they may contain herbicide that will persissed threw the compost cycle SO SAD
"What does it taste like"....you are cheeky!....but love your videos....I have become obsessed with composting....thanks for your help with my composting.
I'm too very much obsessed with composting that I feel like composting all my fresh vegetables so that I can make good compost LOL :)
lol
I buy half rotten veg from the local veggie shop at a cheap price and feed it to my vermi worms. Hahahaha. I am not obsessed, I need compost!
ultimateskydancer Good for your worms :)
yeah dude when i get ultra lazy and my just-bought produce starts going bad, I have the urge to compost it instead of trimming off the bad parts- especially the kale and cucumbers go bad on me quick! i have one of those ozonators in my fridge, but i'm honestly not sure how well it works?
suDz wow and I thought I was the only one it's an obsession isn't it. lol
Happy to have discovered your channel! I've been getting into gardening for a while (on the balcony though, wish I had a real garden) and I'm enjoying it a lot. I like your attitude and sense of humor :)
thanks much for this. Im getting into composting now but don't live in a country where anyone speaks English. Your video was super helpful with the details you provided. Cheers.
+shizuokaBLUES Excellent- let me know if you have any questions as you go along!
thanks much, will do that!
if i dont use my finished compost how is it best stored? and how should i store it?
Thank you for your videos and knowladge
At first I thought u were serious about tasting it lol!
I think setting compost out in the sun for 2-4 weeks is a good idea to help 'cure' it a little.
i sift my compost even hot as removal of the fine matter helps my pile to not grow to large. when adding yards of stuff every week i can keep it hot for most of a year.i stock pile leave and wood chips for use as needed i add water if dry or leaves and chips when to wet Rodney
The last one made under the ground (the soil) has likely more nitrogen than the commercial compost or your tumbler's, but all is likely less than the vermicompost though. Soil retains nitrogen very well, and so do anaerobic processes. That's why your soil is less black, it's mixed with more inorganic soil.
What happens if my garden bed at planting time might have some unfinished compost at the bottom or within the bed? Will my tomatoes, peppers, or other plants suffer? We have a community leaf dump area, i've been getting the dark stuff from the very bottom of the leaf piles as much as possible but also have some leaves and twigs because I was thinking it would be good for air. I composted a year ago and it went anaerobic. Is compost that has gone anaerobic pretty much garbage and not to be used?
definitely want to get a new compost pile started this year.. thanks for the video..
thanks mate. its my first time, haha you sould see the set up inspired by your apartment compost. i got a laundry basket and put wholes in the bottom, wrapped with heshen material and sitting in a laundry bucket with a bin lid occy strapped on.. may sound rough but it looks like a baught one haha
thanks again
Simple and easy.Great idea and insight.Thks
Hey bud, thanks for the video. Question; i put my leftovers from my juicer into a sealed container. looks like its getting moldy. It's been a week now and i want to know if and when i can use it in my herb garden or just flower garden? Thanks
+MrStilltipping3 You'll want to compost that. Do you have a compost bin set up? Check some of my other videos for some options... you could utilize a trash can, a compost bin, worms... if none of those are appealing, i'd recommend reading up on trench composting, which is essentially burying your food scraps. let me know if you have any questions.
i love this guy! I to am a compost freak!
Right on!
Needed a lot of bread and milk to wash mine down, not sure if it is ready yet so it's on the menu this month... lol
Appreciate your vids and now have a micro compost inside of an old nylon grocery store bag. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Bottom to top: Dry leaves (House Plants), Fruits and veggie scraps ~2 ibs, Coffee grounds (~1 ibs), 2 Tbls phosphate rock, Black Gold w/ Coir and ~ 1/2 cup worm castings. All Organic.
+John McKay Did you just start this? Sounds pretty cool to me! Maybe add more shredded leaves as cover for the top? Sounds pretty high in greens at the moment. How big is the bag?
New yes, right it should have more leaves. Was considering shredding paper and cardboard for unavailable leaves? Bag about 5 gal.
+John McKay shredded paper and cardboard will work, but leaves are 100X better in this application... in other words, if you can get leaves, use leaves! Add a handful of dirt, too.
I understand CAC, will remember next time i see a dying tree. Wait for the Fall maybe
+John McKay Any dead vegetation will do.
Loved the video! Thanks so much.
mine is a lil chunkier (sticks and other stuff).. hot as hell... im also doin experiments with anaerobic decomposition its of coruse going very slow..
I wanna hear more about these worms, is there a video?
I realize this is an old-ass video, but I'm looking for some advice. I live in New Mexico. We've had some decent rain recently, but we go through long periods without rain. I have a problem with my compost heap finishing. I have noticeable pieces of wood shavings (chicken bedding) still in the pile, but the pile does not seem to be generating any more heat. I was getting temperatures in excess of 150F during it's prime, and was turning it every two to four days. I'm at a point where I don't think the is heap breaking down any further. I think I am going to dig a hole to put the heap into, since it just sits on the ground right now. I think the hole will help it retain moisture better, since that _is_ an issue here in the southwest.
I wonder though, should I add more green material and try to get it to heat back up, or should I just put it in the hole and let it finish?
I have a second heap started with the new material I'm generating this year.
+BarbVValters How big are the shavings? Anything bigger than sawdust/shavings can slow your pile down at a certain point. Wood chips definitely get in the way. Long term, they'll compost- but that can be quite a few years.
I'd recommend adding to a pile for a year, then stopping to build a second pile and add to that for a year. By the end of that year, the first pile should be looking good. The pile won't stay in the 150F range for a long period of time, which is normal...it'll stabilize and eventually when everything is cooked, it'll be closer to the outdoor temperature.
Perhaps keep adding moisture to it from time to time, but I wouldn't keep adding to it, especially if you have a new pile. If you are still looking to give it a last zap, adding food scraps and then double that amount in shredded leaves will give it a boost.
+crazyaboutcompost.com
The wood chip pieces are what you might expect to see from someone whittling a stick; varying in size, but not big.
Do you think a hole would be of any benefit?
+BarbVValters Possibly? It'll restrict airflow to whatever amount is in the hole, but I guess it could assist with moisture. Nothing wrong with giving it a try. It seems like your wood chip pieces may be slowing down your pile a bit. You said you have chicken bedding...you have any chicken manure in there? More manure, the merrier.
+crazyaboutcompost.com Can you get your hands on some straw? that would make another good brown cover material layer that could help retain moisture and heat.
Hi, I have been trying different methods over the years and one of them a hole. I would like to share my experience and I am hoping that it will be of help to you. First off... Digging a hole for your compost is very labour intensive and remember that every time you need to turn your compost you need to take the stuff out and push it back in to the hole(and this needs to be done regularly for oxygen and to spread moisture evenly). This exercise got too much for me and I thought I could just let it sit until it's ready one day. Then came a lot of rain one year and my compost became a soggy smelly mess! Trust me, it smells worse than fresh pigg manure and there's is just no ways one can use this in the garden, the smell takes forever to go away! You mention here that you have a second heap? Why not mix the bigger chunkier pieces with the "new green stuff" and let it sit in your new heap? I personally am not particular about "not" using the bigger pieces. I remove bigger pieces if I need compost for my pots, but if it's for the garden beds I just dig them in. We have clay soil and I find the chunkier help to prevent the soil from packing together and causing the water to just run-off the top, I also think the chunkier pieces help with bringing more oxygen to the roots. You can also consider adding normal garden soil between your layers, water this layer and then pack your next. I found during this years drought that my heap did not dry out as much as it did without the layer. Take care and happy composting. :-)
Hi there! I discovered your channel today and am super interested in starting a compost system at home. Problem is that I live in a high-rise apartment building with a balcony. I was wondering which system you thought would be best for that. Maybe just the simple "cat litter buckets" version I saw in one of your videos to start? I have another question as well: I live in Canada, and it gets bloody cold for many months of the year... will composting even still work in those conditions?
+Cady Elizabeth In the winter time, composting slows to a crawl... digging a pit can work in the winter, but that doesn't sound like an option for you. Vermicomposting works indoors quite well, if you're in the mood for pets. Otherwise, if you have space for two trash cans, or two equally sized vessels (the larger the better), then that would be what I recommend. One of my latest videos explains this: th-cam.com/video/A0EPnJJw198/w-d-xo.html
+crazyaboutcompost.com Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it! I actually might have found a great solution for people in a situation like mine, though it isn't cheap. the Food Cycler: nofoodwaste.com/. I think I will definitely be saving my pennies for one of these. Have you heard of these? What do you think of them?
+Cady Elizabeth Hi Cady, I don't have any experience with one of these... this looks like a competitor of the Naturemill. They're definitely really expensive and they have similar reviews (3/5), too...I'm not generally a fan of hi-tech to compost, but if options are limited, any composting is better than none. Bokashi is yet another option for indoors that might be worth checking out.
I found a composting factory near to my home. Bought some, took it home, but when piling it back up it started to heat up again. It looks fine and is crumbly, some sticks left in it, I can't recognise anything else. Now I don't dare to use it. Should I or should I not? It's for the vegetable garden.
I would just use it for landscaping purposes. My new rule of thumb lately is to just trust my own compost for my own gardening, and anything I get from elsewhere I use for landscaping.
You can learn more about it on woodprix website I think.
Just got a bunch of grass clippings from the neighborhood boy that cuts the grass. Now I have no clue if anyone uses chemicals to there lawn. Most of the stuff I read says its ok to use. Am I taking a risk by putting it in my composter?
There's a couple factors at play here. What kind of composting system do you have? Is it hot composting, as in a 3' x 3' x 3' or greater sized vessel? What do you plan on doing with the compost? It might not be a good idea to use it for growing food, although I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or two it would be fine.
I use the yimby dual compost tumbler. Damn I didnt think is would be a problem. Thought it would cook enough to till in my vegetable garden bed by the of fall. Any suggestions of what I can do. I worked hard to fill it and dont waste it now
ThEiLLtechNICIAN
honestly, it most likely isn't a problem. there's toxins everywhere in nature in everything. just take your time with the compost, let it age, let it cook, screen it, do it again. i wouldn't waste it, just keep the tumbler full, moist and balanced.
personally i don't think about grass much because there isn't any in my immediate surroundings. I make my compost from just food scraps and sawdust / shredded leaves as my brown materials. I keep it pretty simple and get great results.
*****
that being said, what else do you have in there?
I a bunch of leaves I collected from my neighborhood and local parks. Some shredded paper towels w/o any color ink/printing designs on them. Also shredded cardboard- made sure I avoided any adhesive/glue. Also the basic kitchen scraps like banana peels and such. Did my best to take out any seeds
Beautiful
they all look the same to me except the last pile looks dryer and lighter in color.
Awesome
Rookie question here ... how do you "screen" compost/?
NG B Totally fine question. I use drywall mesh over top of a 5 gallon bucket. I also have a metal basket with handles that works well, too. Any metal screen will do, although I recommend it having holes of around 1/4". The smaller the holes, the finer the compost.
Thank you for your quick response. I understand now and will see about getting the drywall mesh (have plenty of 5 gal buckets).
Thanks again!
*****
*****
Drywall mesh? Doesn't that have 1/8" or smaller openings?
I use 1/2", 3/8", & 1/4" wire cloth on a frame that has rollers on the bottom so I sift compost directly into my wheel barrow for easy transportation & dumping.
Haha what does it taste like
Dude, you look like a programmer gone rogue! Just kidding. Nice video.
have you checked out my vidio compost 2of 3 o r 3of 3 look for a small one or two man lawn or tree service just be careful of grass clipping as they may contain herbicide that will persissed threw the compost cycle SO SAD
haha how does it taste
what if my CP emitts a rotten like smell